Product Information

Publisher's Description

Today the integrity and unity of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are under attack by the Progressive political movement. And yet, writes Larry P. Arnn:

The words of the Declaration of Independence ring across the ages. The arrangements of the Constitution have a way of organizing our actions so as to produce certain desirable results, and they have done this more reliably than any governing instrument in the history of man. Connect these arrangements to the beauty of the Declaration and one has something inspiring and commanding.

From Chapter 2, The Founders Key

Dr. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, reveals this integral unity of the Declaration and the Constitution. Together, they form the pillars upon which the liberties and rights of the American people stand. United, they have guided historys first self-governing nation, forming our government under certain universal and eternal principles. Unfortunately, the effort to redefine government to reflect the changing and growing social order has gone very far toward success. Politicians such as Franklin Roosevelt found ways to condemn and discard the Constitution and to redefine the Declaration to justify government without limit. As a result, both documents have been weakened, their influence diminished, and their meaning obscuredpaving the way for the modern administrative state, unaccountable to the will of the people.

The Founders Key is a powerful call to rediscover the connection between these two mighty documents, and thereby restore our political faith and revive our free institutions.

Author Bio

Larry P. Arnn is the president of Hillsdale College. He has been published widely on issues of public policy, history, and political theory, and is the author of Liberty and Learning and The Founders' Key. He lives in Hillsdale, MI.

With 2012 being a critical election year in the direction our country will be heading, my interest in our country's founding documents has piqued. In the book, "The Founders' Key," author Dr. Larry Arnn (president of Hillsdale College) explains that the connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is both relevant and as necessary for proper government today as it was when the founding fathers instituted the democracy. Between the two documents, we have inspired beauty in the freedom-heralding Declaration of Independence and commanding guidelines in the regulation-setting Constitution. Modern policies have made efforts to divorce the one from the other, upholding the Declaration but ignoring the Constitution. Through real-life examples, the author expressed the ongoing shift towards liberalism as legislators have redefined key elements in the Constitution.

Besides writing a commentary on the Declaration and Constitution and where our country could be headed should we continue to separate ourselves from the original purposes our founding fathers had when creating the governmental system, the author of this book includes a section for further reading at the back highlighting five of the Federalist Papers written by James Madison as well as the complete texts of the Declaration and Constitution. I found this section very helpful for easy cross-referencing the source document to compare phraseology on a particular subject. Overall, I am quite impressed with this book. It was a bit heavy reading to get through at times and took me longer than I would have liked to complete. However, the content is vital to getting our country back on track. Get out there on election day and do your civil duty and VOTE for the candidates who will best uphold the principles this country was founded on!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of "The Founders' Key" through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.

I have long been a fan of Hillsdale College, and the work they do to promote the accurate historical framing of our country. Dr. Larry P. Arnn, president of the College, presents a vivid yet clear and compelling understanding of the unity between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

This fantastic work is evenly divided between the study of the two founding documents presented first and then followed by foundational documents, such as selected writings from the Federalist Papers, to support the claims presented in the first section.

Dr. Arnn starts by discussing the source of our rights, and the apparent disharmony among the two documents, as being from "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God". This is the document that locates Sovereignty in the individual and depicts Government as an alien force making rebellion against it a natural act. Did you know that in the Constitution was a list of charges against the King? Just one of the charges says, "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." Isn't a good thing that isn't' going on today? (My tongue is firmly in my cheek!)

The country that our founders envisioned is vastly different from the country we have today. The question for us is how do we behave as a strict Constitutionalist, and start ourselves on the road back to their vision. We may feel that Government is too involved in this or that, without Constitutional authority, but how do we go about rolling back these programs? How do you end Medicare? Whatever your thoughts, it is not a delineated power within the Constitution.

Arnn ends his treatise with these words: "Because the principles that our country serves, and the institutions by which it serves them, have a beauty hardly matched in all history, they sound a call that all can answer. In their attraction and in our response is the hope for a free people. That is the Founders' Key."

Before you vote in November, read this book!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through their bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

President of Hillsdale college, Larry Arnn, wrote The Founders' Key at a crucial time in American history. This book is chalked full of the connection between the Deceleration and the Constitution. The book is a small book to begin with, but it is only part chapter book and part important papers form our history such as The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and a few selected federalist paper. This book is an excellent starting text for people just getting more involved in government knowledge. Dr. Arnn refers back to these 2 intricate documents and shows how "man is placed in nature, above the beast and below God." (which I don't think could be better stated.) Dr. Arnn refers to many events in American history and pulls them apart to show how it is all related. My favorite being the information about "limited government" actually made me laugh out loud.

I must start by saying that I currently wanted to be more knowledgeable about our government and I am getting there but I was far from knowledgeable when I started reading this book. What first attracted me about this book was that it was short but yet a quick read. I easily get side tracked when reading books that have a political nature. Not this one! It keeps you moving along through out history. The second big appeal was that the major documents were posted in the back of the book (which takes up about half of the book) and it was so easy to flip back and forth and better understand what was being said. I agree whole heartedly that if these are not "preserved" as the author states, they "Founders' Key" will be lost.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson book review program in return for an honest opinion.

Dr. Larry P. Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, obviously spent much time gathering historical information for his new book "The Founder's Key, the Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It." This timely book reminds Americans of the importance of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He explains how the two are tied together and support each other, refuting those who believe the documents to be antiquated and in need of revision or tossed on the rubbish heap.

I especially appreciated Part Two of his book as it shares the "Declaration of Independence" the "Constitution of the United States" and the Federalist Papers of James Madison, all founding documents that I've been remiss in reading and or studying in years.

I consider the textbook style to be somewhat of a drawback. I found myself reading and re-reading certain sections to confirm that I followed his line of thought properly. For those who want an easy read on the topic, I'd look for another book. However, if you enjoy a thought provoking read that delves deeply into the ties between the Declaration of Indepence and the Constitution, then this book is for you.

The Founders' Key by Larry P Arnn is not only a quick read but also is one I would recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

I was surprised to see that the book included the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and some of James Madison's Federalist Papers for reference. I haven't read these documents since college and it was nice to read back through them again and was a great help as I read through the book.

I definitely plan on reading this book again and I am sure I will pull more out of it then I did this time. The book centers on the connection between the Declaration and Constitution and how closely they are to each other. Mr. Arnn makes reference to how many in politics today try and lessen that connection.

Overall this book is a nice and easy read and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in the Founding Fathers or those who have no idea who they are. We all need to take some time and learn from our past so that we can grow in the future as they would have wanted us too.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneezeÂ®.com http://BookSneezeÂ®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."